They were rated on three measures: affordability, quality of life, and health care.

The top 10 were excellent at two of the three measures and not bad on the third. Many of the bottom 10 were terrible at two of the three measures.

In the top 10 I've lived in Florida, Iowa, and Colorado. I have no idea how the first two beat Colorado on "quality of life", but I'm sure they have their reasons.

Now if affordability wasn't an issue -- if you had saved up enough for retirement and could live anywhere, the top 10 would be:

Wisconsin

Iowa

Massachusetts

Vermont

Colorado

California

Connecticut

New Hampshire

New York

Florida

You can slice and dice the info however you want to find the place that works best for you.

As for us, Colorado is AWESOME and we plan to stay here for some time. Once our kids are out of the house and establish families of their own, we may move then to be closer them, but that's a long time away.

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Ahhh, I do like Colorado. When I was growing up we'd drive from Texas to spend Christmas in Colorado so we'd have snow. :) If I could live anywhere I'd like to try out Oregon if money weren't an option. I prefer the rainy, cold weather, which is pretty rare here in Texas. Although I think Mr. Picky Pincher would mutiny since he couldn't get good Mexican food. ;)

I've lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Colorado, California, New Jersey, Alaska. Been through most of the others. Folks had a place for years in Florida.
Crazy to think Wisconsin the best place to retire if you can afford to live elsewhere. Firstly, you wouldn't want to be in the same room with a Wisconsinite for more than ten minutes without the TV turned on. They all have that eerie pride the people with little to be proud of have. Very judgmental, terrible conversationalists, always on the outside looking in. These are not the "live and let live" people.Loners in a group.
Second, the weather. I've lived in the Canadian Arctic as well as Alaska: winters in Wisconsin are twice as bad. Alot of gray skies, forlorn people; a friend from elsewhere calls it "the darkness reaching for the darkness."
Third, the sheer banality. You feel like your in the middle of a black and white film documentary about the childhood of Franz Kafka. It's so dull it's actually surreal.
There are probably a hundred other reasons, but somehow I can only think of these three just now. You can't buy time. Life is short. Don't waste it there.